Mail-box attachment for holding coins.



P. U. RUBY.

MAIL BOX ATTACHMENT FOR HOLDING COINS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26. 1911.

1,256,375. Patented Feb.12,1918.

PERRY ULYSSES RUBY, OF WAUNETA, NEBRASKA.

MAIL-BOX ATTACHMENT FOR HOLDING COINS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

Application filed June 26, 1917. Serial No. 177,022.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERRY ULYSSES RUBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at VVauneta, in the county of Chase and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Box Attachments for Holding Coins; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,

This invention relates to an attachment for mail boxes for holding coins.

The object of this invention is to provide a novel form of coin holder especially adapted for mail boxes of the rural type so that the proper amount of postage coin may be placed in a conven ent position whereby a mail carrier or collector may easily locate the coin and placethe amount of postage desired upon the mailing matter, thus obviating the necessity of persons applying the stamps to the packages prior to the mailing of same.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel coin supporting means which is adapted to be secured to a suitable support such as a mail box or the like positioning the same in a convenient place whereby the carrier or collector of mail may easily locate it and remove the coin to cover the cost of postage on the mail being transmitted.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel coin holder which includes a plate, a guard secured to the plate, a spring pressed member located under the guard for retaining coins between itself and guard.

Further novelty of this invention is to provide a device of this character, which will be simple, practical and comparatively inexpensive in construction and one that can be manufactured and sold at a low cost.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and set forth in the claim hereto appended.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the coin holder attached to a mail box, as made in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the supporting plate in section, and

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a mail box of any configuration now in use having a hinged cover 2 and this box illustrates my improved coin holder designated as an entirety by the numeral 3 attached at the inside thereof.

My improved coin holder comprises the rectangular attaching plate 1- which may be constructed of any suitable metal or any other material suitable for the purpose, provided adjacent its ends with spaced openings which are adapted to receive the fastening members 5 for securing the plate in position to a support.

A guard or housing designated as an entirety by the numeral 6 comprises a bottom wall 7, a front wall 8 and side walls 9, leaving the rear and top fully open as illustrated. The side walls 9 and bottom wall 7 are provided with extensions 10 which are adapted to be arranged through slits formed in the attaching plate 1 bent back upon themselves as at 11 for securely holding the guard or housing to one face of the attaching plate 1 centrally thereof. The front wall 8 of the housing has a substantially U- shaped cut-out portion 12 centrally of its side edges and adjacent the lower edge thereof to provide a finger slot the purpose of which will be hereinafter more fully described.

A cylindrical keeper 13 has formed upon one edge at diametrically opposite points the tongues 14 which are adapted to extend through slits formed in the plate 4 and are bent back upon themselves as at 15 to normally retain the cylindrical keeper 13 in position upon the front face of the attaching plate 1 and concentrically related to the opening 12 in the front wall 8 of the housing or guard member.

An annular wear plate 16 of a diameter smaller than the interior diameter of the keeper 13 and is positioned therein as illustrated in Fig. 3. A coin holder 17 comprises a disk 18 and has formed on one face a cylindrical sleeve 19 which is of a diameter less than the interior diameter of the annular wear plate 16 and is slidably arranged therein as illustrated. thus positioning the disk directly behind the opening 12 in the front wall 8 of the guard or housing, the diameter of the disk being greater than the area of the opening 12, thus it cannot be forcedbeyond the front wall 8 and it will have an abutting engagement with the inner face thereof. A coil spring 20 has one end abutting the front face of the attaching plate 4 and its opposite end engaging theinner face of the disk 18 of the coin supporter, thus it can be seen that the coin supporter will be normally urged toward the front Wall 8 of the housing or guard member. it will be understood that coins forced through the upper open end of housing or guard member are located between the disk 18 and the inner face of the wall 8, thus supporting the coins in direct alinement with the opening 12 so that an operator may use his thumb and apply pressure to lift upwardly on the same to remove it therefrom, it being understood that the spring 20 normally urges the coin into clamping engagement against the front wall 8 to retain the same between the disk and wall.

In use, the device is assembled in the manner described and attached to the mail box 1 as illustrated in Fig. 1. Coins are then inserted between the disk 18 and the spring 20 normally urges the disk toward the front wall 8 binding the coins against the inner surface thereof and the coins are Tlfield against accidental displacement thererom.

In practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most eflicient and practical; yet realizing the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary,

I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement oi: parts may be resorted to, when required without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention as set forth.

What is claimed is A coin supporter comprlsing an attaching plate, means for securing the attaching plate to a support, a housing having side walls, a bottom wall and a front wall, extensions formed around the bottom and side walls of the housing and adapted to extend through the attaching plate and bent back upon themselves to retain the housing thereto, the front wail of the housing provided with a U-shaped opening, a cylindrical keeper secured within the housing and to the attaching plate having its open end in direct alinement with the opening in the front wall of the housing, a coin supporter having a disk, a sleeve secured to one face of the disk and slidably arranged in the keeper, a spring located within the keeper and having one end engaging the face of the attaching plate and its opposite end engaging the inner surface of the disk for normally urging the coin supporter toward the front wall of the housing, said disk being of a diameter greater than the area of the opening in the front wall so as to bind the I coin therebetween.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PERRY ULYSSES RUBY.

Witnesses G. S. DIMIOK, C. E. JOHNSTON.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents, Washington, D. Q. 

